The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-02
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE.
Mrs. Lille Devereux Blake's Reasons
for Asking the Ballot for Her Sex.
A Comparison of the Industrial Condition of
Working Men and Women in the East
The Wrongs of the Latter.

Mrs Lille Devereux Blake spoke last even
| ing at the Central Christian Church, under the
auspices of the Woman's Suffrage Society. on the
subject, 1.-The Progress of Liberty" Mrs. Blake
is handsome, elderly lady. grandmother. her
black hair slightly gray. She is president of the
State Woman Suffra. "a Association of New York.
She began with the assertion that there was
nothing more remarka BILE in modern times than
the progress of freedo u of women. She said
that it was only two centuries since man was
mobbed in Paris for teacl lung girls to read, and
recently a woman carried off The highest col
lege horors at Cambridge. Eng. Woman has
found place in medicine, law anea literature, as
we'll as in many other pursuits formerly re-
served to man alone. and now she stand face to
face with the only barrier and asks that she
have the same political privileges with men,
why do not women voter said Ms. Blake.
'sWe defy any to give q reason, for his
wanting to vote which is not good re ason for
a woman also wanting to vote. Men want to
vote for good governments; do women Men
want to express their opinions and rel ea'ences
at the ballot-box; SO do women Men want TO
vote to bring about moral reforms so do we men.
What ls the great underlying cause OF this
movement The changed industrial conditio OF
women. Women were formerly occupied in ki lit
ting, weaving, spinning, and many Nth er
pursuits now no more part or
her domestic duties The discovery OF
steam motor has changed all that as well as
the entire position of women. Women are a T.
ways told to get married remedy for all
ills. Marriage is talked about If it were free
ticket to paradise. 1t is all very we'll to tell the
women of the Nation to get married, but there
are Is, Oc0 more women than men in New YORK,
60, QUO more women than men In massachusetts,
and $4,000 more women than men IN
pennsylvania. What IS the use OF
telling that marriage is career
when one-third of the adult female population
in these Eastern States is unmarried
She spoke of having been at school, where.
addressing the boys. gentleman said, "boys.
never be satisfied always struggle and aspire"
and turning to the girls he remarked, now
ladies' what shall I say to you2 Make the best
OF life; learn to put up with everything" This
is the contrast. And yet these girls he was ad-
dressing must to a large extent. earn their own
living. They work side By side With men
and get less than men. The first civil
service We ought to have" said Mrs.
Blake, sis to give women the samein government
employ for the same work 1t is not question
OF capacity or of honesty. Not woman IN the
service of the United States has ever embezzed
dollar. 1t is simply a question of sex, or rather
question of disfranchlsernent. 1t is a terrible 4
thing to belong to d!sfranchlsed class 1t IS
always an Oppressed class There 30. 900
womsn teachers in New York. Last year a man
introduced into the Legislature bill providing
that the compensation of women teachers
should be Go per cent. of that of men 1t was
defeated. If every woman teacher IN the State
WAS voter, no such measure would nave oeen
presen ted. In New York city whenever they
want to save money they do not touch the ray
of policemen and firemen. The only money
that has been taken has been from the pockets
of women teachers, per cent at one time, ana
10 per cent at another. Had these women had
the right to vote they would never have thought
of reducing their salaries"
Mr. Peck who has investigated the industrial
condition of women in New York citv has ascer-
tanned that 200 600 of the less than 300. 900 WON
there earning their own living and
m married.
So marriage has ceased to be - support for wom-
en-, OF these $4,000 are earning less than
thlrty cents n day. This story of i
ported in Chicago and CINCINNATI and perhaps to
some extent indiana polls.
What is the alternative that is eternaliy pre-
sented to women who thus miserab les You
know that forever and forever the tempter
stall ks beside them Offering luxury the price
of vice. 1t has been said that in the markets of
the world there is nothing cheap woman
hood. Woman is paid better than anything
else for dishsnor 1t is from these ll-paid,
shame ss'' is ever recruited Women
poorly paid as they are must everywhere
pay the same as men-on the cars, in the board
lighthouses. To what class of people is it
politicians appeal at every election2 1t the
wcrklnsmen. our Irish fellow-citizens, our Ger
friends, our colored brethren. Look at
Shermans sneech made the other day Ceve-
land. He talked about the wrongs of the work
ingmen-nor a word about the starving working
women. And why not9 Because they
voters. 1t is a tremendous eye-opener to men
whore there are voters"
Mrs. Blake asserted that governmental house
keepine never would 60 on right until women
were fully enfranchised, and that the wrongs of
women as waee-workers would be riehted when
the ballot in their hands and not till then
She ridiculed the argument that women should
not vote because they cannot bear arms and
fight for the country. ''And yet
said she, lyon men thought men
who sent substitutes to the good
enough for candidates for the presidency. and
Won did elect of them" She spoke of the
services of women during the war, at home and
in the hospitals nursing the sick and wounded
and closed with aliusion to the statue of Lib
erty in New York harbor "Only think" said
che, Liberty a woman! What absurdity
in a country where a woman is Free